I JOHN: TRUE SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP

XVIII. Absolute Truths For Victorious Living

(1 John 5:18-21)

I. Introduction

A. When John wrote 1 John, he implied in 1 John 1:3 that a number of his readers did not enjoy spiritual fellowship with the Apostles, with God the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ!

B. This lack of true fellowship occurs with many believers today as Christ predicted in Revelation 3:14-22 for our era. We thus view 1 John 5:18-21 on God's absolute spiritual truths for victorious Christian living:

II. Absolute Truths For Victorious Living, 1 John 5:18-21.

A. At the end of his first epistle, the Apostle John in 1 John 5:18-21 provided summary absolute spiritual truths designed to position our view of ourselves, of God, of Christ, of Satan, of the world and of the idols of this world in such a way that we might sustain spiritual victory in the Christian life.

B. Thus, verses 18, 19 and 20 each possess the phrase, "We know" that translates the Greek verb, oidamen, the first person plural [second] perfect of eido, "know" in an objective, absolute sense. (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 825; The Analyt. Grk. Lex. (Zon.), 1972, p. 283; T. D. N. T., vol. V, p. 116-119; Arndt, & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 558-559). John thus summarized in 1 John 5:18-21 the absolute spiritual truths the apostles knew, and which John's readers would know were they to heed what he had just written in this epistle (B. K. C., N. T., p. 903). Applying these truths would give them spiritual victory in living.

C. Accordingly, we view those absolute spiritual truths to apply them for victorious living (1 John 5:18-21):

1. First, we objectively know that he who has been permanently born (gegennemenos, perfect passive participle, Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 76) of God does not sin (1 John 5:18a), and in view of 1 John 1:10 that claims all us believers have committed acts of sin, John must mean here that the new nature that is born of God cannot sin, that if we sin, we sin by our old sin natures, Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.

2. Second, we thus objectively know that the new nature that was born of God keeps itself from sin, v. 18b.

3. Third, we thus objectively know that since the new nature keeps itself from sin, being impervious to sin, Satan cannot even touch and thus harm (hapto, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 102) that new nature, v. 18b.

4. Fourth, we objectively know that we believers are from God due to the new birth, and that the whole world of unbelievers that is thus vulnerable to being touched and hence manipulated by Satan actually fully "reclines in (the power of)" (keimai, Ibid., p. 427-428) the Evil One, 1 John 5:19.

5. Fifth, we objectively know that the Son of God is come and has permanently given (dedoken, perfect tense of didomi, "give," Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 85; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 191-192) us understanding that we might experientially know (ginosko, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.) the truth of God. We also objectively know that we are in the truth of God and in God's Son, Jesus Christ; He is the true God and eternal life, 1 John 5:20.

6. Sixth, based on all of these objectively known truths, John called God's teknia, that is, all believers who are spiritually born of God (from teknon, Ibid.; John G. Mitchell, Fellowship: Three Letters From John, 1974, p. 63) to "guard, protect" (phulasso, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 876) themselves from idols, 1 John 5:21. This call given in the setting of the previous absolute spiritual truths is striking: if (a) our new natures do not sin, (b) but keep themselves from sin (c) so Satan is not able to touch so as to harm them in contrast to what he does to the whole world of unbelievers who recline in control under his power, (d) and if the Son of God has permanently given us believers understanding that we might experientially know God's truth, as we are in God's truth and in His Son, Jesus Christ, the true God and eternal life, (e) we should logically want to avoid living by the sin nature so as to avoid being influenced by Satan to worship false gods like the world does, but rely on the Holy Spirit to live victoriously over idols in the new nature!

Lesson: All believers are to know in an absolute sense that what God has created in them in the new birth is not only impervious to sin, but impervious to Satan's control, that they can thus live without being in bondage to Satan's control or influence and thus live righteously in victory over idolatry, the plague of the lost world. Therefore, armed with these truths, may we believers keep ourselves from every false idol and hence from Satanic influence by relying on the Holy Spirit to live victoriously in the new nature over all sin to the glory of God.

Application: May we realize that we either live for God and His truth or for Satan and his error, and that the whole lost world is subject to Satan's control. May we then live for God apart from the world, from Satan and from idols.